Wedlock, Marriage (Nikaah)

Bukhari :: Book 7 :: Volume 62 :: Hadith 71

Narrated 'Ursa bin Az-Zubair:

that he asked 'Aisha, saying to her, "O Mother! (In what
connection was this Verse revealed):

'If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with
orphan girls (to the end of the verse) that your right hands
possess?" (4.3) Aisha said, "O my nephew! It was about the female
orphan under the protection of her guardian who was interested in
her beauty and wealth and wanted to marry her with a little or
reduced Mahr. So such guardians were forbidden to marry female
orphans unless they deal with them justly and give their full Mahr;
and they were ordered to marry women other than them."'Aisha added,
"(Later) the people asked Allah's Apostle, for instructions, and
then Allah revealed: 'They ask your instruction concerning the
women . . . And yet whom you desire to marry.' (4.127) So Allah
revealed to them in this Verse that-if a female orphan had wealth
and beauty, they desired to marry her and were interested in her
noble descent and the reduction of her Mahr; but if she was not
desired by them because of her lack in fortune and beauty they left
her and married some other woman. So, as they used to leave her
when they had no interest in her, they had no right to marry her if
they had the desire to do so, unless they deal justly with her and
gave her a full amount of Mahr."